Calm before the Sword II (Calma antes da Espada II)
by Tales of Gray Wolf
Summary: Omega/Classic AU and sequel. Athena and the remaining Gold Saints reach the goddess Pallas and the last 1st class Pallasite. Revenge match between Camus and Titan. (Calma antes da Espada; 剣の前の静けさ)
1. Revenge Match

**Calm before the Sword II**

 **Part I**

The end of the hall was finally within reach, and everyone felt the sensation of Cosmos dancing among varying degrees. Strong friends and stronger foes; one after another, however, the Cosmos of friends vanished. The goddess Athena and her Saints sensed it, like a candle's light flickering to an end and casting darkness in its place. There were three Gold Saints left accompanying Athena.

"Shiryu, Deathmask," Sagittarius Seiya muttered as he marched next to his goddess, the sorrow in his voice showing the difficult burden of turning his back and leaving behind a battle. Aquarius Camus looked only ahead; he knew that the end to all of this was only in front of him. Athena reached a towering door, and it opened as if expecting her arrival. Inside, the chamber was wide and dressed dark. At the far end of a morose hall, led through by a crimson carpet, was a woman with an ancient chiton dress.

The goddess Pallas sat on her throne, waiting. A smile was upon her darkened face; she was either content to see her sister or she sensed the inevitable defeat of the Saints happening before her own two eyes.

"There you are!" A boastful voice echoed through the chambers, breaking any protocol of facing a divine presence. Taurus Harbinger lunged towards Pallas like a beast, a bloodthirsty grin splitting his face.

"Goddess Pallas! Your life is mine!" No other than a God would please his battle spirit and test his iron horns. Before Harbinger's fist could reach, a green wave cut in between him and the goddess. The Taurus Saint was thrown backwards. A shadow swept in and veiled Pallas; it stood in front of Athena's victory, and took everyone's attention.

"If you want the goddess, then you must defeat me and my Theogenesis, Gold Saint," stated a black-haired man carrying a long emerald blade. The man's voice was deep, becoming of his appearance as he was covered by a cloak. Opposite of the shady look, bright gold eyes gleamed with the passion he carried as a guardian: It was the Grand Sword, Titan. He was Pallas's finest subordinate until the very end.

Harbinger only laughed it off and regained his footing. For him, there was no other way but to face the challenge.

"Great Horn!" The Taurus cried out his attack, an energy bursting forward as raw force. Titan swung his arm, his blade arcing in a swift empty swing. The Great Horn roared, rushing forward, and then dissipating before a hit. It's said that the world-creating Theogenesis was able to stop the world's movement, but were each of the four first-class Pallasites hailed as a few Gold Saints strong? In any case, was Taurus Harbinger not a threat to Titan?

"For something that helped to shape the Earth, Theogenesis, given to me by my God, can repel whatever stands on that same Earth at will," Titan's words abject the Taurus Saint coolly. "And, as Earth is made of various minerals such as sillicon, iron, and magnesium, I'm afraid,"

The shadow paused, and then took a step forward.

"Harbinger!" Seiya called out in concern; Titan's cloak fluttered in the air, and the Pallasite crossed the distance standing in between him and the Taurus Saint. The green sword arched again, and in the next instant sparks flew, then the sound of shredding metal.

"I'll cleave through your Gold Cloth easily," Titan said.

Standing on his feet, Harbinger's legs felt tight. He flexed his arms as he fought back the singing pain in his body. Titan's sword left a gap in his Cloth, and the Taurus Saint fought to stay on his toes. He relaxed his grimace as the wave of pain withered. He panted, and then grinned.

"You bastard!" Taurus Harginger spat after catching some breath, and then he frowned. He felt a touch on his shoulder.

"Haaah?" The Taurus Saint looked at his shoulder and saw a gold gauntlet. His mouth slanted. "What is it? You can't be asking permission now, are you?" He said, grinning again.

From Harbinger's mocking tone, and in contrast to his smile, Camus kept a tranquil face. Upon first look, he looked to lack human empathy, but in times of war when it was most important, such a face could be surmised as fearless, self possession.

 _Camus, you can't possibly_ , Seiya began to think to himself, _is this from before_?

Camus slid his hand off the shoulder and passed by the Taurus Saint quietly. He was stepping forward to take "his turn".

Harbinger quickly showed refusal. "Hey, wait a sec Aquarius! This is not yours to take!"

"Harbinger, let Camus fight," Seiya said from a distance. Harbinger looked back, showing the Sagittarius Saint his irate face.

"What for? Does he plan to make the same mistake twice?" The Taurus Saint grounded his teeth in irritation. He figured that Aquarius was placing the priority of a grudge match over his chance to ignite his Cosmos to the fullest. No matter the protest, it was not easy to stray Camus from what he fixed his focus on.

"He's aching for a bruising for being so stubborn." Harbinger continued to oppose.

"No," Seiya simply replied with, "resonating from him is the heart of a strong man."

Harbinger groaned and looked back to his target, suddenly gasping. He witnessed a gold aura coursing around Camus's body.

"We meet again." Titan said.

"You say that you can freeze anything that lives on Earth?" said Camus. "So can I. No, I will crush your sword with my heated glacier blade."

"'Heated'? You're making no sense, Aquarius Camus." Titan raised his sword again and buckled his knee forward to advance. That's what his brain was telling him - to move the knee. But it wouldn't. Titan grunted and looked down, wondering what was wrong. His leg shook as if his muscles cramped. When he looked back at Camus, he saw a blizzard.


	2. Countdown to death

Camus's composure belied however he felt. Taurus Harbinger thought that Aquarius was bearing a grudge. Sagittarius Seiya thought that what he saw was a both a chance of redemption, and a man's willpower smoldering as one of the Gold Saints. As for Athena, no matter what actions her Saints took, she always had faith in them.

Titan's legs wouldn't respond, and before his eyes came the jaws of a coming blizzard. His vision quickly became white. He wondered if he was transported to another land; it was not peculiar considering Gemini, who had joined his side.

 _An illusion? No, not him_ , Titan thought. To fight his confusion, he focused on his grip on Theogenesis. His fingers tightened, the sword glowing. His blade of Earth's Creation, which he had faith in, would repel whatever came to him. The Cosmos that formed and evolved the universe – that too would be repelled. Knowing that, Titan waited without concern, and the white haze began to thin out. The familiar dark drapes and pillars that surrounded his goddess's chambers were returning into view.

"There you are!" Titan saw a patch of gold before him. He swung Theogensis, and in such an effortless stroke through the air, the blizzard was swatted aside. The view was completely clear.

"Camus!" Seiya screamed as he spectated the fight. He saw the wave of energy from Theogenesis slash across Aquarius Camus head to toe.

"A Gold Saint that hides?" Titan's cool sneer combined as a rebuke showed his station as a First Class Pallasite, and as a perfect guardian for Pallas. He stood proud before one of his goddess's assassins. How dare Camus try to kill her, Titan thought, and how dare he resort to such foolish, amateur tricks?

Aquarius bent backwards, and then disappeared into thin air. Titan's eyes widened. _What_ , his mind could only think of that one word. His senses told him to turn and look behind him, and another cold air touched his body. Camus stood behind Titan, pointing at him with his index finger. Rings of white crystal surround the Pallasite's body like ropes, binding him.

The Gold Saint that was sliced before - an after-image? Titan's first impulse was that Camus escaped; of course, his opponent was one who attacked at the speed of light.

"You still haven't told me how you plan to defeat my sword, Aquarius Camus." Titan continued to taunt. "How you plan to crush it."

Camus said nothing; he trapped Titan in his _Koliso_ just like when they first fought. Back then, _Koliso_ was ineffective. All of his techniques, he considered, were ineffective since he failed his mission. He did not think that now. One would wonder how to face a thing that was able to stop and vanquish everything? Even though Camus had the abilities to do just about the same; his way of "destruction" relied on suspending the atoms.

"Useless!" Titan stretched his arms, and broke through the rings. He was formidable enough. Titan's footwork easily closed him in on his foe, making Camus within sword's reach. It looked like a repeat of what happened to Harbinger as the Theogenesis slashed in a wide arc. Camus crossed his arms over his upper body in defense and brought his knees up. He was thrown back from a massive force. Further apart from Titan, the Gold Saint straightened himself once his feet touched the ground, throwing his fist out.

"Diamond Dust!" Another blizzard was shot out at Titan. The First Class Pallasite raised his sword, shielding himself from the blast. Athena and Seiya looked on in worry; it seemed that Cosmos against a being ranked parallel to Gaia and Hyperion looked equally meaningless.

Camus stretched his arms and legs, tilted down his stance, and disappeared before Titan's eyes. Titan engaged his arm for a diagonal stroke, and Theogensis's jewel-encrusted ring-guard paused at his eye level. It felt like the sword was pushed against his body. His wrist tensed, held in place, by the knifehand chop of Camus. The Aquarius Saint covered the distance.

"Are you trying to freeze me? It won't work if I kill you Aquarius Camus." Titan stared at the Gold Saint with eyes unconcerned of defeat. Both looked at each other without a similar mood.

"I don't think you realize it yet." Camus said. "I am the Master of Absolute Zero. If I don't destroy your sword, I can destroy you. Thus the sword, without its owner, won't be of any use."

Titan smiled. "Then, why haven't you destroyed me yet?"

"Like I said, I don't think _you_ realize it yet. In fact, you won't."

"What do you mean 'I won't'?" Titan's eyes narrowed, growing irritated from Camus's impudence, but the Aquarius remained unshaken.

"You're confused and my speed has the advantage," Camus said. "So that tells me all: you already started to die since the start of his fight." For those who knew him well, the words of Aquarius Camus were always forthright and didn't lie about his ability level. His Cosmos were boiling.


	3. Too much talk

_The Gold Saints are as lofty as the armor that they wear_ , Titan thought. As they were Athena's best Saints, that alone would attribute to their impudence.

"I am dying?" Titan wasn't buying it. His own Chronotechtor armor contained the power of three Gold Saints, and his own Theogenesis was forged and offered to him by his God. He had no need to fear a Magician of Water and Ice. The First Class Pallasite huffed, and smiled.

"Indeed. You are strong Aquarius Camus, but I didn't know that you would resort to lies to scare your foe. Enough talk."

Then, the smile vanished. Titan lunged forward and swung his green blade, splitting a Diamond Dust stream fired in his direction. He could cut a typhoon; there was nothing to fear from the Saints' Cosmo. Theogenesis swayed again, to slice Camus from shoulder to waist, and Camus knife-handed Titan's wrist. Tiny flakes of ice scatter from the impact. Titan pushed against his foe, but was held in place. His blade was shaking, and being repelled, the momentum of the swing having been stopped.

"I know what it's like. I have felt that immediate execution," said the Gold Saint.

"Keep talking that nonsense. The only thing you have is folly." Having to speak against Camus's conceit more than once, a scowl rose on Titan's face. The Pallasite felt a sudden surge of resent. Theogenesis swept high, sliding off metal. Sparks flew before Titan's eyes as the blow propelled Camus off his feet. The roar of energy boomed in between them.

"I'm still standing. If you are such a strong guardian of Athena, then show me. Show me Aquarius Camus!" Titan expected his power to triumph over Camus's weak Cosmo, to shatter that display of boldness, and after its been proven, he grew weary of the Saint's tongue and efforts. To remain toe to toe with Titan, while talking high and mighty, it all caused a crack in Titan's composure.

"Show me before you die!" Titan lifted a palm from under his cloak and fired a blast of energy. The former assassin of Pallas felt a pressure striking him. The landing blow launched Camus into a pillar.

"Camus!"

"Come on Aquarius! What do you think you're doing?!" As they witnessed, Sagittarius Seiya and Taurus Harbinger called out to their partner. Harbinger had a biting nature, and to show concern was to admonish the Aquarius Saint.

"I let you fight and you get kicked around? What's with all that talk?! You better get—" Harbinger suddenly paused. Camus was disoriented for a moment, but groaned it off and returned to his feet. He gave Taurus a fierce look for his words, and noticed that the brawny Saint was looking at Titan. Camus turned back to the Pallasite and slowly strode right up to him.

A shadow covered Aquarius's face.

"Aquarius." Titan's entire face creased as he watched his opponent approach him. His jaw trembled, and his irritation was slowly emerging into his voice. "What have you done?"

Camus and Titan were eye to eye, and there was no retaliation.

"I'm taking that sword," Camus said.


End file.
